Day 2 - Northern Territory

I just walked to the Sea of Galilee. Not on it. To it. I didn't see the scene in the picture on the left, although we will be on a similar boat in the morning and cross the Sea. I'll let you know if I see Jesus walking on the water. Tonight, my walk to the sea was after dinner and in the dark. My first view of this famous body of water was under a full moon that glimmered off of the water while the lights from Tiberias twinkled on the hillside to my right. The moment was typical of the whole day. It was almost too much to take in.

Just to give you the big picture, we went to Joppa (now Jaffa and part of Tel Aviv on the coast) where Jonah boarded the ship to anywhere but Ninevah... and where Peter had a vision to reach the non-Jews (Gentiles) for Christ. From Joppa it was to Caesarea, where Peter began that work through conversion of Cornelias and later Paul would appeal to Caesar for a trial as a Roman citizen. Then it was to Mt. Carmel where Elijah had the showdown with 400 prophets of Baal. Afterward was Megiddo mentioned by Deborah in the book of Judges, where Solomon kept 450 horses, and, most famously, a place that overlooked the Megiddo valley, known from the book of Revelation by the much more dramatic name - Armageddon. We then went to the spot of one of my favorite stories, Mount Tabor, known as the mount of transfiguration. We then drove to the Nof Ginosar Hotel on the Sea of Galilee.

And this was a light day of famous sites.

It is impossible to begin to describe this, so perhaps it is best to give you a glimpse of my experience of being in the physically places I have studied, imagined, taught about, and preached on for years. Not to trivialize it, but to make it relevant to something that is part of our Florida culture, if you can imagine what a child must feel like to hear about Disney World, see pictures, watch videos, talk with friends about it, and then imagine what is going on inside the child the moment they walk up to the entrance of the Magic Kingdom. It is hard to take it in.

Everywhere we went was earth, plants, and water connected to eternal realities. All I could think was, "I can hardly take it in." This is where Jonah the prophet caught the boat!! I'm looking over the valley of Megiddo where the final battle will take place!! This is where Jesus appeared with the prophet Elijah and Moses and he was transfigured before the eyes of Peter, James, and John!! I'm standing in the very places. Even when it was not exactly known where an event took place - like whether the placed called the home of Simon the Tanner in Joppa we saw this morning really was THE spot - it didn't matter. We were in Joppa by the sea and we were close enough.

Two moments stood out in particular. When we were on the top of Megiddo, our guide pointed out a mountain across the Megiddo valley. He said, "If you look toward the right of that mountain, you will see the village of Nazareth." That's when it all clicked for me. That is Jesus' hometown. He grew up there. This is where my Lord spend his childhood. I was glad I was wearing sunglasses and our next step was to explore the depths of Megiddo. I was too emotional to do much more than walk.

The next moment was at the mount of transfiguration. It was a place all to itself in geography. Unlike other mountains, this was not part of a series or range of mountains or hills. It was flat and then there was Mount Tabor, the location traditionally understood as the spot of the story. By the way, the word "mountain" is more like "hill" to anyone from places other than Florida. It looked like a mountain to me. As I sat inside the church on that mountain (picture I took today below), all I could do was think about what took place 2,000 years ago. I remembered my own thoughts years ago about this moment. As he often did, Jesus wanted to speak with the Father. He took Peter, James, and John with him. On the mountain, mysteriously, two ancient figures appeared with Jesus - Moses and Elijah. Luke's Gospel is the only one that tells what they were doing. They were talking about Jesus' "departure" in Jerusalem. In my own words from years ago: "Jesus went up the mountain to pray; he came down the mountain to die." Again, I could hardly function at that point. I was on holy ground. I picked up a small rock at the entrance to the chapel to have as a constant reminder of Jesus, Peter, James, and John in this defining moment of what God did for us and our salvation.

Just before we got to the hotel, our guide told us, "By the way, we are about to pass the village of Magdala, where Mary was from." Then without missing a beat, he continued giving us instructions for dinner. I thought, "Wait, did you just show us the hometown of Mary Magdalene and then immediately begin talking about dinner? Like it was no big deal?" That is how it is here. EVERYWHERE is biblically relevant.

Just so you know, we are eating well. Breakfasts are filled with fresh, local

fruits and vegetables, meats and fish. I had olives, granola cereal with whole milk (I usually have skim - felt like chewing milk), and what I think was bread with dates. Lunch was salad, fish or beef, and fruit for dessert. Dinner was a full buffet with an amazing avocado salad, carved turkey with mediterranean relish, and a full dessert bar. All tasty. If this keeps up, the calories burned while hiking will not keep up with those consumed by eating. All of you who have been on a mission to fatten your pastor will be happy.

Also, it is winter in Israel. They told us to "pack as if traveling to Atlanta this time of year." I did that. It would have helped if they would have added "with 15 mph winds." If you know me well enough, you know I don't do cold well. Elder Bill Warden calls me Granny Fullerton. Granny was freezing today.

Last night was great. I slept like the dead. Sleeping horizontal was a nice change from sleeping in an airplane. The hotel room was nice, my roommate didn't snore, and I was refreshed by daybreak. I'm sure if I think too much about it I haven't had enough sleep, but... I'm in the Holy Land. All is well.

I have been thinking about the days I will spend in Jerusalem. I am going through the congregation and others I know and making a list of those I want to pray for while there. Know that you are on my mind.

Time for bed...